Conventional mirrors which are, typically, a transparent material (e.g., glass) with a pigmented or silvered coating on one side thereof, or a polished or metalized surface, operate to reflect an object or image. Such mirrors allow an observer to see a reflected image in the mirror, but block the observer from seeing an object or image located behind the mirror or mirrored surface.
Variations of conventional mirrors include "one-way" mirrors, wherein a polarized film is used to allow a person located on one side of the mirror to see a reflected image, and a person located on an opposite side of the mirror to see through the mirrored surface. A common application of this type of mirror is a pair of "mirror" sunglasses.
In the toy industry, mirrors are used, for example, in "make believe" applications, such as a child or doll make-up or mirror set. Further, some children's stories utilize mirrors to "show" images of characters other than the person looking into the mirror, such as a king or queen, princess, a monster, or ghost.